“Mike was pretty much put in a difficult situation,” Jamison said. “There was no training camp where he could get a feel for guys. There was a breakdown of communication when we first got there. And throughout the season it was kind of up and down…

“It was difficult,” he said. “I really believed before we got started that (Kobe and Howard) could co-exist. But it just didn’t work out that way. Both guys are unbelievable basketball players, the best we have in the game right now. But for whatever reason we just couldn’t get that relationship as far as them communicating and them trusting each other the way you needed them to trust each other in order for us to win a championship. It just didn’t happen that way.”

Things will be different for the Lakers this season in that without Howard and with some of the other roster changes the Lakers will be able to play more of a classic D’Antoni style. He started last season trying to fit the square peg of that roster into the round hole of his offense and it just wouldn’t go. He had to and did adjust, but by then the injuries had piled up and the hole the Lakers were in was too deep.

This season the Lakers start from a better place mentally and the offense likely will be smoother. The problem is talent wins in this league and the Lakers lost two key starters and their two best defenders from last season and that is going to haunt them this season.

All the players know you cannot trust a snitch, Kobe outed Shaq, Karl Malone, Etc and would snitch you out if he could. He’s all about himself, not really championships unless he’s the alpha dog and has proven it. He wants championships as long a she can be the savior and shoot the ball all night and that’s it. Not a team player unless he’s in charge of the team.

Stars joining forces is tougher than it sounds. This time last year, fans who thought the Lakers would be elite pointed to the formation of the Boston Big 3 as a reason why instant success was likely. At first glance, there were parallels in the rosters. However, while technically true that the Boston Big 3 came together quickly in part because their primary skillsets of didn’t overlap, there still was sacrifice involved. Ray Allen’s duties became more specialized as a spotup shooter who spaced the floor. KG’s shots went down as he became a defensive specialist. Pierce, a regular 25+ point per game scorer, had to sacrifice shots to the new guys and become a sub-20 point scorer. Rondo had to play off the ball more than most PGs and let Pierce and Allen handle the ball.

The Lakers weren’t as willing to sacrifice. Nash was probably the most willing to change his role, as he was forced to play off the ball more (like Rondo). Gasol, like Allen, had to become more of a spotup shooter who spaced the floor, except he wasn’t nearly as good of a long-range shooter and complained about playing outside of the paint. Howard, like KG, was asked to become more of a defensive specialist with fewer designed scoring opportunities but unlike KG was very unhappy about that. Kobe, like Pierce, was asked by teammates to give up shots, but his willingness to do was inconsistent throughout the season as he became impatient when asked to defer to teammates.

I think Jamison is right that there was a lack of trust on all sides and that explains why they were less willing to sacrifice.

Kobe didn’t trust Dwight to keep his mouth shut while he shoots the Lakers out of games.

Dwight didn’t trust Kobe to not take more shots than Dwight and Pau COMBINED!

You read that correctly: Kobe averaged more shots than the NBA’s best frontcourt COMBINED!

The funniest part is he has such a strong, loyal following that he can literally do no wrong. So the NBA’s best big man bolts for Houston because he can’t stand playing with a selfish ballhog, but the Kobe Cult rationalized it as “he couldn’t handle the LA spotlight” hahahahahaahha.

Funny how Kobe managed to avg 20.8 shots per game with 46% shooting in 2009 when they won the championship in comparison to last season with Howard where he avg 20.4 shots per game with the same 46% shooting. Howard should have adjusted to Kobe, not the other way around.

So you’re saying Kobe expected Dwight Howard, the very best big man in the NBA, to merely assume the role of 2009 ANDREW BYNUM?

Gee, I wonder why Dwight bolted for Houston after such a reasonable request!!!

What if Dwyane Wade had the same attitude towards LeBron and Bosh when they joined him in Miami?

“Look, fellas… I’ve already won a ring jacking up all the shots, so that’s what’s going to happen again. You guys should study what Antoine Walker and Udonis Haslem did for us that season, because those are the same roles you’ll be playing this year.”

Instead, Wade decided to SHARE the ball with those fellas (novel concept) and it has led to team harmony and 2 more titles (so far). Kobe’s strategy led to unhappiness and Dwight leaving.

Now, between Kobe and Wade, whose strategy was more sound? And whose strategy was selfish and petty?

First, Dwight and Pau combined for 22.5 attempts to Kobe’s 20.4. So don’t use stats if they ain’t true.
Second, Howard’s 10.7 attempts last year is greater than his 10.2 attempts in 2009-2010 season when he was Orlando’s star player and primary option for offense, and just a year after the Magic played and lost to the Lakers in the NBA Finals.
Third, Howard had a 49% FT shooting and averaged career high in with 3.8 fouls last year. He also tied with headcase DeMarcus Cousins in Cs with highest TOs with 3 per game.
Fourth, Pau was moved by D’Antoni to 6th man role for many games with reduced minutes and was asked to shoot jumpers, which isn’t Gasol’s primary offensive skill.
Fifth, both bigmen had stretches wherein they played games while recovering from injury. On the other hand, Kobe was healthy during those games.

isn’t it funny that Kobe is among the most popular sports figures in the world, his fans and Laker fans can be found in every NBA city, his jersey sales reflect that immense popularity, but when you come to the internet, the Angry Jealous Hate is rampant.
Guess no one in real life cares about your tears.

1) they were all “yay, we got Dwight!”, now they hate the guy when all he did was try to co-exist with a ballhog while nursing injuries.
2) they cursed LeBron’s name when he defected to Miami, and now they want him to escape to LA! unbelievable smh

(by the way, I can’t see LeBron leaving a potential DYNASTY where he can share a legacy pedestal with only Dwyane Wade, as opposed to starting ALL OVER AGAIN in a WHOLE NEW CITY and a whole new set of teammates and share a CROWDED pedestal with Magic, Kareem, Shaq, etc…)

why would LeBron want to play in LA? he’d never get the ball. Dwight Howard didn’t! Kobe and his selfishness is the reason the Lakers are LOSERS now, the reason why Dwight left. It has nothing to do with the spotlight. Kobe is garbage. them 5 rings? Shaq and Pau Gasol. The other 11 rings? half of u losers weren’t even ALIVE when Pat Riley coached that team to championships. …oh, and now Dr Jerry Buss is DEAD! The man responsible for 10 of those rings. Dead is Buss, along with the odds of the Lakers seeing another ring in the next 25 years. Enjoy mediocrity, losers. oh, and one can’t hate on failure. getting swept even with PJ coaching u? failure. getting tossed in the first round? failure.

@drewdatwit84, ^^ That is the dumbest thing i’ve ever read about basketball, Kobe being “garbage” is about as true as you knowing basketball. Shaq never won until he teamed up with Kobe same with Pau, get your facts straight before you make stupid remakes. Just because your team sucks don’t hate on the Lakers. And i was alive when Pat Riley coached those teams so i know what i’m talking about.

i just stopped reading in the he was trying to co exist with a ballhog. Dwight never tried to co exist with him he just wanted kobe to move out of the way for him to star in Los Angeles but as we all know in Lakerland no one hands you the keys you take it ala Kobe to Shaq stupid lbj dckrider.

For the life of me I cant figure out why Eagles fans criticize the Cowboys because they havent won a super bowl since 1995. Theyve never won one at all, yet they think there team history is better. I dont know who your basketball team is and its probably not Boston. So for you to try to get Lakers fans to cry because you think the Lakers wont win another chip for 25 years is so stupid. Even if that were true, which its not, the history of the Lakers will trump any team that you root for, even if they dont win another one ever.

And Jamison ‘s chemistry was with who ? Himself ? Consider the source of the statement first. But I give Kobe not trusting Howard to make any Free Throws in the fourth.Better to shoot a fall back jumper with 2 defenders in his face

Doesn’t matter in LA who trusts who. Doesn’t matter in LA who is the coach. In LA, you either play Kobe ball or you leave. It’s the Kobe highway or you’re off to the Bye-way. Kobe is a lot like Dan Marino near the end. A high priced player with a still expanding ego and fading talent.